Flat-car.



No. 830,471. PATENTEDSEPT. 4, 1906.

A. E. BECK. FLAT GAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1906.

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- To all whom, it mag concern.-

, of the posts.

UNITED STATESPATENT orrron.

ALBERT E. BECK, OF ANACOSTIA, DISTRICT OF ONE-HALF TO MARK REID YATES,OF WASHINGTON,

or COLUMBIA.

FLAT- OF COLUMBIA. ASSIGNOR DISTRICT CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

Application filed March 13.1906. Serial No. 305,877.

Be it known that I, ALBERTE. BECK, a l citizen of the United States,residing at Anaj costia, District of Columbia, have invented l certainnew and useful Improvements in Flat-Cars, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to an improvement in flat-cars, and the object isto provide side posts to secure the freight in position upon the floorthereof, which side posts may be swung outwardly when the car is beingloaded or lowered upon the car-floor and out of the way when they arenot in use. I attain these objectsby the construction illus trated inthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of thecar. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail view inperspective of the post-hinge and socket, showing in dotted lines thedifferent positions of the post. Fig. 4 is a detail view of thecarstringer. 5 is a top plan view of a portion of the car, showing theposts lowered out of the way. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the postsin the lowered position. Fig. 7 is a detail of a modification.

Like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views of thedrawings.

1 is a flat-car commonly employed in transporting lumber and otherfreight, and 2 is the floor thereof, laid upon the stringers 3 3 and endsills 4 4. At suitable intervals along the sides of the car'are locatedthe posts 5, which are pivotally secured to the stringers by means ofthe hinges 6. The posts are constructed of well-seasoned wood 7preferably hickory, and are incased in metal 8 of a suitable thicknessto prevent swelling from exposure to the elements. Metallic straps orbands 9 and 10 are shrunk around the upper and lower ends Each post isprovided with a slidable sleeve or strap 11, formed with the projectingears 12, between which is pivotally secured a tie-rod 13. The posts,which are arranged somewhat out of alinement with the companion-postsupon the opposite side of the car for a purpose which will becomeapparent later, are tied in pairs by the tierods when the car is loaded,and for this purpose the tie-rods on one side of the car carry.turnbuckles 14, confined upon them by heading the end of the rods, asat 15, and the tierods on the opposite side are threaded on the end ofthe turnbuckles. The slidable sleeves or straps 11 permit the tie-rodsto be adjusted to the height of the load upon the car. These rods aredisposed at a slight angle to the posts to facilitate their connection,and each post is recessed at 17 to receive the rods when disconnected.These recesses are disposed at an angle to conform to the tie-rods.

Upon the lower ends of the posts are the rectangular slidable sleeves18, which are confined upon the same by the straps or bands 10. Thesesleeves are provided with extensions folded downwardly and projectingbelow the same to form the cars 19 19, which said ears are provided withregistering rivet-holes to receive the rivets 20, which pivotally securethese sleeves to the post-seats 21 and form the hinge-joint between theposts and the car. These post-seats are somewhat larger in crosssectionthan the sleeves 18, which permit the end of the post to be droppedtherein when elevated... The con struction of hinge-joint just describedallows the post to be swung outwardly from the car and lowered to theground while the car is being loaded, after which the posts are elevatedand tied together in the manner heretofore described. These post-seatsare rectangular in shape and are strapped to the stringers 3 with theirtops on line with the car-floor by means of the U-shaped bolts 22, whichare retained in place upon the post-seats by the corrugations 23thereon. The threaded ends of the said bolts pass through holes in thestringers and receive the nuts 24.

To receive the posts when lowered and permit them to lie flush with thecar'I'loor, the stringers are recessed or cut away for a depth equal tothe thickness of the flooring, as shown at 25, and of a width to receivethe two companion posts. This will be clearly seen in Figs. 3, 4, and 5of the drawings. The posts are made of just sufficient width to lieflush with the floor when lowered. When the posts are lying upon the carand the tie- ,rods are secured in their recesses by the pivoted catches26, they form no obstruction to freight which may be loaded thereon. Asshown in the modification illustrated by Fig. 7, these posts may be madeentirely of metal, hollow and rectangular in cross-section, as at 27,and of suitable thickness to give rigidity to the post.

' ends, as at 16, to engage with the threaded I the posts which restupon the tops of the slidl with an opening in the floor thereof, of apivlface of the floor and means for bracing said prising a socket memberadapted to seat the The straps or bands 28 form shoulders on ablesleeves 18 when the posts are in a vertical position with the endsthereof in the postseats 21. These straps or bands are locatedsufficiently far from the ends of the posts to allow them to drop to theend of the postseats. When the posts are to be laid flat upon thecar-body, they have to be first removed from the said seats by liftingthem clear of the same.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is v 1. The combination with a carconstructed with an opening in the floor thereof, of a pivotal postattached to the car and adapted to be folded upon the car-floor and intothe opening flush with the surface of the floor.

2. The combination with a car constructed otal post attached to the carand adapted to be folded into the opening flush with the surpost in avertical position to impart rigidity thereto.

3. The combination with a car constructed with an opening in the floorthereof of a post adapted to be folded into the opening flush with thesurface of the floor, and a hinge connection between the car and thepost compost when in its vertical position and a sleeve member having aslidable connection with the said post.

4:. The combination with a car provided with a channel or openingtransversely of the floor, of pivotal posts attached to the sides of thecar adjacent to the opposite ends of the channel or opening and adaptedto be folded down into the same flush with the surface of the floor andmeans for bracing the said posts in a vertical position to impartrigidity thereto.

5. he combination with a car provided with a channel or openingtransversely of the floor, of pivotal posts attached to the sides of thecar adjacent to the opposite ends of the 1 adapted to be connected tobrace the posts in a vertical position.

6. The combination with a car and a side post adapted to be folded uponthe car, of a hinge connection between the post and the car comprising asocket member rigidly secured to the car-body and a sleeve memberpivotally attached to said socket member and adapted to be slidablyconnected with the post to permit withdrawal of the end of the post fromthe socket member, and means for limiting the movement of the postwithin the sleeve member.

7. The combination with a car and a post, of a hinge for securing saidpost pivotally to the side of the car the said hinge comprising a socketmember and a sleeve member, pivotally'connected therewith, said sleevemember being slidably attached to the post.

8. The combination with a car and a post, of a hinge for securing saidpost pivotally to the car, the said hinge comprising a socket member anda sleeve member, pivotally connected therewith, the said sleeve memberbeing slidably attached to the post, and means for securing the hinge tothe car.

9. The combination with a car constructed with a transverse opening orchannel in the floor thereof of side posts pivotally attached to thesaid car and adapted to be folded down into the said opening or channelflush with the surface of the carfloor, slidable tierods attached tosaid posts and adapted to be adjusted at different heights upon saidposts, recesses in said posts to receive the rods when not in use andmeans for connecting the tierods of opposite posts to brace the latter.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT E. BECK.

